Friday. April 6th.

I arose shortly after six, wrote my portion of Record for the Morning and read a little
of Maltebrun. But for the rest of the day, instead of pursuing my studies, I went
fishing with John. We had not much sport. But we took off three boys from the bottom
of a boat which had been upset by a squall in the Channel. One white boy and two { 118 } coloured ones. And strange to say, the white one seemed the greatest chicken of the
three. He moaned the most and seemed to have shown the least courage for the emergency.
Evening, Cards as usual.

Docno: ADMS-13-02-02-0003-0004-0007

Author: CFA

Date: 1827-04-07

Saturday. April 7th.

Completed my share of Executive Record and of Maltebrun before [I] breakfasted. After that instead of law I went to sit to King who kept me until nearly
two o’clock, and I was engaged after that in arranging my father’s files of newspapers
for the last month. A great bore. My spirits not remarkably good. In the evening I
read a portion of Judge Cranch’s sketch of my Grandfather.1 I am clearly of opinion that he was the most extraordinary character who figured
in the American revolution.

1. There is a copy of William Cranch’s Memoir of the Life, Character, and Writings of John Adams, Washington, 1827, in the Stone Library and another among JQA’s books in the Boston
Athenaeum.

Docno: ADMS-13-02-02-0003-0004-0008

Author: CFA

Date: 1827-04-08

Sunday April 8th.

I wrote my portion of Executive Record this morning and devoted the rest of the time
before breakfast to finishing Judge Cranch’s Memoir. It is a sensible, well written
thing in his peculiarly sententious manner. After breakfast my time was not occupied
very correctly—it being wasted in doing little of any utility or profit. I wrote a
letter to Richardson1 and rode with John in the evening. Conversation with the P[resident] about the Memoir.

Monday April 9th.

I wrote my portion of the Executive Record and read a portion of Maltebrun before
breakfast. Studied law earnestly during the morning1 and wrote to Abby. No letters yet from her. Genl. Wool called to see me and delivered
a message from her which made me quite comfortable. I do love this girl as I think
a woman ought to be loved. Sincerely, fervently and yet with purity and respect. I
can think of her in no other light. Other women have acted upon me by a voluptuous
manner, to which I am unfortunately peculiarly susceptible, but I have never known
one who has produced any respect before. I have seen so much of their bad shades of
character that I had doubted whether any could create a different effect on me than
this single one. But the very simplicity of Abby’s character is what has struck { 119 } me most. It is a strong contrast to my previous experience of art. Enough.

I read for nearly an hour in Campbell’s Philosophy of Rhetoric which does not strike
me so far as a peculiarly powerful work. There is more jingle of metaphysical titles
in the work than is necessary for a book where simplicity of idea should be the object.
Evening, Cards. On the whole this is a well spent day.